According to the memo, which was first posted on the unofficial Facebook page Air Force amn/nco/snco July 12, Sopchak can wear a neat, conservative beard that presents a professional, well-groomed military appearance and stays no more than two inches from the bottom of his chin. When requests are precluded by military necessity, commanders and supervisors should seek reasonable alternatives.. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. 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Another example of neat and conservative is color. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. Powered by GoDaddy This website uses cookies. The interviewing chaplain will then send the wing chaplain a memo on whether the airman has a sincerely-held belief, whether the accommodation is related to that belief, and how the Air Force policy places a burden on that belief. This new study looked at a much larger share of data and involved 9,339 valid responses. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. of the Air Force Kaleth Wright, said in April on a panel discussion on male grooming standards in the Air Force. Here are some active soldiers who have been allowed to keep their facial hair. The advocacy group submitted a religious accommodation request for Singh in April 2019. The religious accommodation process isn't designed for individuals to play the God/conscience card to get around things they don't like. Thousands of American Muslims and members of other minority faiths serve in our nations military and should be able to practice their faith while serving, CAIRs spokesperson Ibrahim Hooper said in a statement. Turbans and under-turbans have similar color and material requirements as the hijab. In 2020, the department extended shaving waivers for those diagnosed with razor bumps from one year to five years. <> A highly visible sign of changing Air Force policy may soon be evident here at Kingsley Field, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Requests should normally be recommended for approval unless approval would have an adverse impact on military readiness, unit cohesion, standards, or discipline, the Air Force wrote. U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Isaac John, 423d Security Forces Squadron flight member, holds his position during a field training exercise at Stanford Training Area, England, Aug. 17, 2022. The memo said he can grow a longer beard if he rolls or ties it, but Sopchak said hell likely keep it within two inches to stay safe on the job and keep it simple. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced the Space National Guard Establishment Act on, From Abraham Lincoln to the Tuskegee Airmen to lessons from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Any links to regs would be appricated. Those interested in pursuing a shaving waiver at Al Dhafra can attend shaving waiver clinic walk-in hours on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or schedule an appointment at the 380th EMDG clinic during walk-in hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Sopchak, an aerospace ground equipment craftsman at Hill Air Force Base in Utah,said other airmen have been emailing him with questions about his faith. <> Sopchak said that something about the Heathen religion felt more real to him. Since then, 21 Honor Guard airmen now have a pass to grow neatly-trimmed beards, according to Military.com. The Air Force Times reports on Air Force SSgt Garrett Sopchak, who just became the first US Air Force Airman to be allowed to wear a beard because he adheres to Norse Heathen religious beliefs. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Also, do you have to be able to prove that you are that religion or can you just claim that you are a Muslim and thats that. That assessment, and ability to address and adjust, is critical to our force, and our people. In such cases, an airman's command could order an immediate removal of the turban, hijab or facial hair (although it's not clear how much time an airman would have to shave). Shaving sharpens the edges of facial hair and makes the condition worse, the college said, and shaving less frequently or allowing the beard to grow helps. The Air Force, citing privacy concerns, declined to identify how many airmen have obtained waivers based on religious exemptions but said the publicity surrounding approvals in recent years has . Does anyone have any information on how you actually get a religious exemption for shaving? David Roza Shaving waivers can hold back an airman's career, and since most airmen with waivers are Black, the regulations are effectively discriminatory. ~pkgEsHh,1%l|hJ This is an update to AFI 36-2903, "Dress and personal appearance of Air Force Personnel," and it will allow the headdress to be worn provided it is "neat and conservative" and that the airmen present a professional . endobj And if that airman is assigned to a unit that wears a beret of a particular color, the unit commander can order him to wear a turban of the same color. It also specifically looked at the time it took airmen with shaving waivers to get promoted relative to airmen without waivers, and whether that association led to racial bias. Rachel Cohen joined Air Force Times as senior reporter in March 2021. In March 2021, after Comer arrived at Maxwell Air Force Base, he started talking to his first sergeant about applying for a religious accommodation to obtain a beard waiver. The regulation follows years of individual airmen and other service members receiving waivers for religious beards and apparel. 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The study could provide ammunition for airmen who really want to grow out their beards, a large number of whom advocate for changing the facial hair regulations on social media platforms like Reddit and Facebook. (Garrett Sopchak) For nearly a year, the Air Force weighed a staff sergeant's request to grow a beard as part of his religious beliefs before. DAFI 52-201 is the governing regulation for religious accommodation. He also hopes to grow the Heathen community in the area around Hill. I want to go all out with practing the religion (including reading the Quran like it is recommened during Ramadan. As described in sample memos included in the regulation, safety concerns might include wearing a gas mask or going within 25 feet of an operating aircraft. | Later, every religious trend sought and found the hadiths that justified its principles. But if they deny a religious accommodation request, it will go up to the Air Force headquarters manpower, personnel and services directorate, Air Force reserve or the Air National Guard for a final review and decision. However, most airmen who have waivers are Black, because they are more likely to be affected by pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) than White airmen. See Beard News in Air Force for more information. Chief Bass comment demonstrates her commitment to changing the culture, and there seems to be some progress already. Imagine the man-hours saved when men dont have to go to the doctor to get approved for a shaving waiver, and then periodically renewed., Daniel Walker, another Facebook user, added: They keep relaxing grooming standards instead of giving us things that would actually increase our quality of life.. A staff judge advocate must also review the request package. Others mused that more people would enlist if beards were allowed. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. <>>> Want to write for Task & Purpose? The research studied the effect of shaving waivers on the careers of active duty male airmen. Her work has appeared in Air Force Magazine, Inside Defense, Inside Health Policy, the Frederick News-Post (Md. Those calls accelerated earlier this year, when the Air Force changed its regulations to allow for women to wear braids, ponytails and bangs in order to prevent irreversible hair loss and migraines stemming from the old hair regulations. Copyright 2023. This means that even though the study measured only about 4% of all male airmen, the findings would likely be similar if extended to the entire branch. In the stories, you could see even the gods themselves have flaws, Sopchak said. Previously, the only exceptions for active-duty personnel were medical waivers. Singh was born in India and followed his father, an asylee, to the U.S. in 2012. Under the new guidelines . This is the first time the command has done so. The updated Air Force Instruction, released Feb. 7, also formally allows Sikh airmen to wear turbans and Muslim women to wear hijabs. Below are current coronavirus disease 2019 statistics for Department of Air Force personnel: *These numbers include all of the cases that were reported since our last update on Jan. 18. Thats according to a new research paper published last week in the journal Military Medicine, which found that Air Force regulations against facial hair disproportionately affect Black or African American airmen and can lead to slower rates of promotion and limited job opportunities within the service. But a little more than two years ago, Sopchak was seized by an overwhelming feeling that he needed to look further into these legends and the religion surrounding them. The Air Forces updated dress and personal appearance policy clarifies the grooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. The updated policy requires religious apparel to be neat and conservative and not impede an individuals ability to perform assigned military duties or wear protective equipment. Air Force). Theyre more like family members than they are divine beings, Sopchak said. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. There is no potential timeline for approval, because it isnt even at that stage, she said. The Air Force also granted its first religious accommodation beard waiver, to a Muslim airman, in 2018. A U.S. soldier who is serving in Afghanistan has received a uniform religious exception to sport a beard based upon his Norse pagan beliefs. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations. Sopchak, a 28-year-old aerospace ground equipment craftsman at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, on July 8 received approval to get approval to wear a beard in accordance with his Heathen faith. Theres a lot of things that we learn from the past and our ancestry, and its just carrying on the line, really.. Editors note: This story has been updated with new comments from Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass. Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. . The Air Force Surgeon General has approved five-year waivers allowing male airmen with a medical condition causing painful ingrown hairs to grow beards, the service said Tuesday. The services often claim that facial hair interferes with the seal of a gas mask, but an Air Force doctor has found no direct scientific evidence to support that claim. The Quran, too, was used in a similar manner. Chaplains typically can tell if you're trying to BS them and it can affect the perceived credibility of real requests in the future. The Air Force has updated its grooming standards to formally allow Airmen to grow neatly trimmed beards, standardizing the religious or medical exemption process. ;NNB6 j~X3E]4]euu((m#/S>c9K71,E304a;97la@Ejrf-o eP9_$)'"?#EO!orCi=5P@C5TmJY;^qzU/nWXvvRH~]/C >K)a2MuOzZ.VsDNOr%rZR[TINcCPBi!U;$TXA9%9;?&>k37{X]sa`p3Wc1^CKtjBrx\5uI3 Under the new process, a commander has up to 30 days to approve an Airmans request for a waiver, and that the accommodation will generally follow the Airman through his or her career. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. So I am not some expert I just watch YouTube videos of the teachings of Islam. >_fn7dw)>S#a\7]zdWwgsZMA2!2/af>]]I+ .$sMOr])0`F\>-vxX|K h%&ZG2xI%#}pxg@;%rE*q"TY(kfIeWgh&*$|- F'$_L2;&"bw.%i^XxzS\'Z+gQI,=b6)J|Se{Sl)xog`7^}T# N7 x+|B7 Staff Sgt. Press J to jump to the feed. David Roza Heres how. Garrett Sopchak, a 28-year-old aerospace . A California-based airman has become the first Muslim airman to receive a beard waiver after a 2014 policy. A federal appeals court on Friday granted a preliminary injunction allowing two Sikh men to immediately begin basic training with the U.S. Marine Corps without shaving their beards . Sopchak said in a Tuesday interview that in the old sagas, a beard was a sign someone was a respected member of the community who could be trusted to help others. David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. HbMc#!6d~\@sQfe_Mp X_T1ew,`CC _O3b eTBo~&aM(AL?z[vEIYf~;LI>*H~BL 3v3!2/)mC*f3d]UL!'7*^LtPNl2"8}Vo=N@&.&|Ye. Thanks for attaching this, it seems like a simple enough process to get the accommodation. The regulation formalizes a waiver process for future airmen seeking to wear turbans, hijab or beards, By The religious accommodation process is designed to accommodate individuals who can cite specific teachings, traditions, or texts that Air Force policies contradict. There currently is no clear evidence showing that is the case, the study said. Any links to regs would be appricated. As of Jan. 21, the Air Force has administratively separated 111 active duty Airmen. The Supreme Court today upheld Indian Air Force's denial of permission to two Muslim personnel to grow beard, holding that the two orders were in compliance with Regulation 425(b) which . dx xE28;eN0ORG*sMhw_2iL!o@/dUKS0sD~-dd!7r.7ucOjP0GH#_&F%)wr-' Hopper,. Black men disproportionately suffer from the ingrown hairs that cause painful razor bumps, either precluding them from shaving more regularly or forcing them to suffer and, in some cases, endure scarring. It is is up to the wing commander (or the unit's equivalent of such a commander) to make the final decision. Click here. But advocates argue that more sweeping changes are needed, in part because shaving waivers are often misunderstood and hurt Airmen's careers. According to the Nevada Army Guard's and Air Guard's personnel offices, the state has eight Guardsmen - four Soldiers and four Airmen - who declare Pagan as their religious preference. Shaving Waiver stigma Air Force Medicine medical beard Al Dhafra . For a long time, the old Norse mythology of Odin, Thor and Ragnark was just that for Staff Sgt. The Air Force's updated dress and personal appearance policy clarifies the gr ooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. In addition to promoting one's own well-being and four pillars, respecting others whose viewpoints differ from them is expected from the total force. 4 0 obj DAFI52-201 23 JUNE 2021 5 Written request for accommodation received by The new version of the service's dress and appearance standards policy allows tattoos up to 1 .
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